Chair



1943. G. H. HAMILTON 2,336,013 7 Filed March '7, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 7, 1943. G. H. HAMILTON 3,

CHAIR Filed March 7, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I z:

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G. H. HAMILTON CHAIR Filed March 7, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 v 6 80 we iii-on Dec. 7, 1943. G. H, 'HAMM N 2,33 ,013,

CHAIR Filed March 7, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I 21 is .z/ 11 20 21 hktessg I ZIYWWMM M3,, 2 jeozgeiflfamilizi,

Patented Dec. 7, 1943 I a a r 2,336,013?

' R-Flo I CHAIR/- George; H. Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Mich., assign? on: to; American Seating Company,,. Grand, Rapids; Mich, a corporation of New Jersey Application March-.7, 1940 ,-lSerial.No. 322,669 :1

4 Claims. (C1.

The present invention--relates --to -chairs-andmore particularly to a chair-having a-reclining back. The chair herein shownand described is in the nature of a modification of the chair structure shown and described in the pending applicaa tions for patents, Serial Nos-253,063 and 254,357, now Patent Number '2,310,476,-issued February 9, 1943; respectively filed January 27; 1939, and February 3, 1939, by Edwin T. Todd and by him assigned to my assignee.

The primary objects of the instant invention are to provide a chair of the general character above indicated having means for adjustably fixing the back thereof at a selected angular inclination; to provide such a chairwhose angul5 larly adjustable'back isnormally caused'tobetilted rearwardly to selective angular disposition by an occupant thereofito provide sucha chair having means for positively maintainingthe back in angularly adjusted position from which maintained position the back may; nevertheless be readily shifted to a'different selectively adjusted angular disposition; to provide such a chair which" is particularly well adaptable for. installation in motor busses, railway coaches, and airplanes; to provide such a chair whose operating mechanismj is simple and compact, hidden from View and efiicient in operation; and, to providesuch a chair: which is attractive inappearance, light; in weight yet rugged in construction, comfortable in use and reasonably economical in manufacture.

illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying A drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a pair of chairs whose respective backs, are each independently angularl adjustable;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the, chair frame and its back and showing oertainparts of the operating mechanis n for controlling the adjusted angular, 4o l n ti n of t e a k;

Figure}; is a sectional view of a portion of the frame and the chair back operating mechanism on line 3-.3 of FigureA;

Figure 4 is avsectional View thereof on line 4-4 of Figure 3; I I

, Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view 01a portionof therear side of the chair frame and, of the chair back operating mechanism, certain parts being shown in section Figure 6 is a fragmentary' front elevational view of a portion of the chair frame and a por tion of the chair back operating mechanism;

Figure '7 is asectional view. thereof on line 'I 1 of Figure 6;

Isa- 161) .7

' Figure -8 is anenlarged side: elevationalview of; a portion-ofthe operating mechanism byiwhicha, the a back is maintained inselective angular. clination; and- Figure 9-is a fragmentary plan viewiof-ea po1 tion of the chair frame structure.

-Referr-ing then -to theadrawings wherein like] parts of the structureshown are designated by r the same numerals in the severalfviews,.a frame; fora pair of chairs disposed side by side and of; a character particularly well'adapted for.installa--v tionin motor busses; railway coaches or airplanes, comprisesa pair of spaced horizontally disposed; frame supporting members 10,. ll, here shown, as-formed from tubular stock to provide for; rigidity with lightweight, respectively supported, above the floor and adjacent their opposite ends! by front legs 12 and-rear legs I3 which are likewise of tubular construction.

' An arm support I4, here shown as of stamped sheet ;metal, isdisposed onthe outside or :aisle: end of the-frame members H], II to whose outer ends the arm supportis secured in any-suitable manner and an openfaced stamped sheet metalhousing [5. for the chair back operating mechanism, turnedangularly'upwardly at its rear; end, and isjspot welded or otherwise secured to the uppersidesiof bothopposite ends of the frame emb rs An intermediate rear leg 16, likewise formedof' tubular stock, supports the rear tubular frame member II medial of its length andla P ir of spaced angularly -upwardly extending brackets H. are disposed} on and secured to oppositesides of' the vintermediate rear leg I6 below the rear, frame v memben I I, all as" best shown in Figures 5 and 9.. V a

Y A pair of spaced upwardly angularly disposed chairbacksupporting members 1 8 for each chair back 19 are-pivotally mounted on astationarv shaft 20 whichis secured adjacent its opposite ends between the, rear upwardly-angularly extending portionsof the openfaced housings-J 5 and which is fixedlysupportedintermediateite length by the two spaced brackets pl 1 through which it projects as bestshown in Figures-3, 6 and. 7,to .a permit an independent forward and, rearward tilting movement of each chair back 19.

Secured to each chair back supporting member l8 adjacent the outer surface thereof is a rack plate 2| whose lower end projects below the. back; supporting member l8-to which it is secured and whichlower end is provided with'a series of teeth-. 22 '-which-teeth each haveoneilinear detentzell:

gaging face 23 and one arcuate detent engaging face 24 as best shown in Figures '7 and 8.

Horizontally disposed rotatable shafts 25 are each journalled at their inner ends within a bearing in one of the brackets I1 and at their outer ends within a bearing in one of the open faced housings I5, the opposite ends of both shafts 25 each having a, short longitudinal flattened portion 26 as best shown in Figures 6 and '7. A detent plate 21 embraces each flattened end of each rotatable shaft 25 and each is provided with an upwardly extending tooth 28 having a rearward linear face 29 and a forward arcuate face 30 respectively adapted for selective engagement with the linear and arcuate faces 23, 24 of the teeth 22 on the rack plate 2| as best seen in Figures 6, 7 and 8.

Means is provided for urging a directional tilting of the back supporting members I8 and toward this end shaft rotating plates 3| embrace the outer recessedend of each rotatable shaft 25 outside each detent plate 21 as best shown in Figures 6 and 7 and a link 32 pivotally secured at its rear end to a stud 33 on each rack plate 2 I, projects into the open end of a tubular cylinder 34 housing .a coiled expansion spring 35 whose forward end abuts theclosed end of the cylinder and whose rearward end abuts a disc 36 fixedly embracing the forward end of the link 32. The spring 35, acting through the link 32 and stud 33, normally urges the lower end of the rack plate 2| rearwardly, thus to a certain extent counterbalancing the normal unstable equilibrium of the chair back when the rack plate 2| is disengaged by the detent plate 21 and thereby facilitating normal forward tilting of the chair back.

Although the tooth of the detent plate 21 is thus normally maintained in selected and wedged tooth engagement with one of the teeth of its rack plate 2| as shown in full lines in Figure '7 and because of the contour of the engaging teeth, means are provided for manually effecting such disengagement in instances wherein the occupant of the chair desires to tilt the back thereof to a different selected angulardisposition. Means for effecting such disengagement comprise the. lever plate 31 pivotally secured to the housing l5 by means of the pivot pin 38. A rod 39 which is pivotally secured at its forward end to the lower end of the lever plate 31 by means of the stud 4Ei is secured at its rearward end to the upper end of the shaft rotating plate 3| through the stud 4|.

Itwill thus be seen'that manual operation of the lever plate 3'! by its handle 42 rearwardly or toward the occupant of thechair effects rotation of the shaft 25 to release the tooth of the detent plate 21' from engagement with one of the teeth of the rack plate 2| and against the action of the two coiled contraction springs 43, 44 which normallyurge the detent plate tooth into engagement with a tooth of the rack plate.

"It is to be noted that by virtue of the arcuate shape of the forward edge of the tooth 28 of the detent plate 21 and of the teeth 22 which are selectively engaged thereby, manual shifting or tilting of the chair back forwardly may be accomplished by a ratchet-like action without operating the detent plate 21. However, normal shifting of the chair back in the opposite direction is positively prevented due to the linear form of the teeth 28 and122.

It will thus be seen that the chair structure.

airplanes and that the chair is attractive in appearance, light in weight yet rugged in construction and is comfortable in use and reasonably economical in manufacture;

While but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that certain details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the'invention as the same is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A chair frame having a pivotally mounted back support, a rack plate mounted on the back support having a plurality of teeth each having on one edge one linear detent engaging face and on its opposite edge one arcuate detent engaging face, a detent plate pivotally mounted on the chair frame and having a tooth with a linear tooth engaging face on one edge and an arcuate tooth engaging face on its opposite edge and in selective and detachable meshing engagement with the teeth of the rack plate for controlling a selectively adjustable angular inclination of the back support, means normally urging engagement of th tooth of the detent plate into unidirectional locking engagement between teeth of the rack plate with their curved and linear faces respectively in engagement, so that the back support is positivelyheld against rearward tilting movement by the mutual engagement of said linear faces and yieldingly held against forward tilting movement by the mutual engagement of said arcuate faces without releasing said detent plate, and means operating independently of the urged detent-plate urging a forward directional tilting movement of the back support.

2; A chair frame having a pivotally mounted back support, a rack plate mounted on the back support having a plurality of teeth each having on one edge one linear detent engaging face and on its opposite edge one arcuate detent engaging face, a detent plate pivotall mounted on the chair frame and having a tooth with a linear tooth engaging face onone edge and an'arcuate tooth engaging face on-its opposite edge and in selective detachable meshing engagement with the teeth-of the rack plate for controlling a selectively adjustable. angular inclination of the back'support -means normally urging engage-.

1 mutual engagementof said linear faces and yieldingly held against forward tilting movement by the mutual engagement of said' arcuate ,faces without releasing" saiddetent plate, means for releasing the normally engaged'detent plate from its ra'ck plate, and meansoperating independently of the urged'detent plate urging a forward'tilting movement of the back support comprising a coiled expansion spring whose oneendabuts the closed end of a tubular cylindermounted on the chair frame and Whose other end abuts a link which extends out of the cylinder and is pivotally connected withthe back support. 4

3.v A chair-frame having a pivotally mounted back support,'a rack plate. mounted on the back support having a plurality of teeth each having on oneedge one linear'detent engaging face and on its oppositeedge one arcuate detent engaging face, a .detent plate pivotally mounted on the chair frame and having a tooth with a linear tooth engaging face on one edgeand on its 0D.

posite edge an arcuate tooth engaging face and in selective detachable meshing engagement with the teeth of the rack plate for controlling a selectively adjustable angular inclination of the back support, means normally urging engagement of the tooth of the detent plate into unidirectional locking engagement between teeth of the rack plate with their curved and linear faces respectively in engagement, so that the back support is positively held against rearward tilting movement by the mutual engagement of said linear faces and yieldingly held against forward tilting movement by the mutual engagement of said arcuate faces without releasing said detent plate, means operating independently of the urged detent plate urging a forward tilting movement of th back support comprising a tubular cylinder having a closed end mounted on the chair frame, a compression spring disposed in said cylinder and having one end abutting said closed end of the cylinder, and a link connecting the other end of the spring and the back support.

4. A chair structure comprising, in combination: a frame; a back support pivotally mounted thereon for forwardly-rearwardly tilting movement and having a rack whose teeth have arouate rearward detent-engaging faces and opposite linear forward detent-engaging faces; and a releasable spring pressed detent pivotally mounted on the frame for normal movement relatively to the rack and having an arcuate forward face and a linear rearward face engaging the arcuate rearward face and the linear forward face of a pair of the racks teeth in the operative engagement of the detent therewith for holding the back support positively against rearward tilting movement and yieldingly against forward tilting movement.

GEORGE H. HAMILTON. 

